“When you got fucking ready!” he bellowed, slinging her to the floor. He held her there while whipping the belt across her ass, making her holler out.
“Oh, hell no! Don’t nobody beat us like that but Akon and Esther!” Toot fussed, hopping up to defend her sister.
She jumped over Tekken’s head but didn’t make it a step before his hand clamped around her ankle. Tekken jerked her leg, making her stumble to the floor before he crawled on top of her and pinned her down.
“Yea, hold her ass there. Matter of fact, whoop her ass too, bro,” Shabu directed Relic, panning the phone to Toot with a scowl. “You ain’t even my Tootie nomore. Just out here wilding, and don’t think Unk ain’t tell us ‘bout yo ass creeping in at the wee hour of the morning ‘cause you was with that football nigga.”
“She was where with who?” Tekken asked before his stare hardened and turned to Relic. “Fuck you waiting on? Come beat her ass, and put some strength behind that shit, too!”
Tekken climbed off her as Relic stalked over, cocked back, and landed a hard hit to her ass that cracked like a fresh whip. Toot screamed and tried to roll over as he hit her a few more times before Lexi rushed over to block his aim.
“Okay, that’s enough! Leave them alone,” she fussed between laughs, pushing Relic and Tekken away to help Toot up. “You got that, right, Shabu?”
“Yep. Bro, you beat them like they stole yo money.”
“That’s alright. I hope Los is here ‘cause when Pierre gets off stage, they gon’ beat y’all ass!” Tima threatened, and Relic snorted to show he couldn’t care less.
“Fuck your brothers, especially that crippled one. Tell Los limping ass to holler at me. Tek can take care of Pierre now that he ain’t getting snuck from behind.”
“Oh, please! Pierre literally had Tekken in the trash!” Toot shot back. “Don’t try to defend him now, Relic, with your wannabe, fake uncle-in-law head ass. Tek don’t even like you!”
“Oh, shit. That was a good one, Toot.” Shabu bigged her up while he and Lexi fell over each other in laughter. Calm shook his head.
“Y’all never know how to act when y’all get together. At least ain’t nobody fighting.”
“Well, somebody is about to be in the damn hospital,” Kennedy called, pulling everyone’s attention to where her head poked out the bathroom door. “While y’all playing, I can’t get Saucy off the fucking floor. She must have fallen when we heard that clang ‘cause they knocked the rack off the wall.”
“I was trying to get her to throw up, but she wouldn’t do it,” Tima said with her voice cracking. “I don’t get why she started doing this again. I’ve been keeping an eye on her, but—”
“You know her story. She’s been popping since she was seventeen, Tima. She’s an addict. You can’t save her.” Relic laid a hard truth on his cousin before heading into the bathroom.
He stalled in the doorway, staring down at Sojourney as she mumbled belligerently and tried to sit up but could barely lift her head. His heart sped as he recalled Joseph in the same position on too many occasions to count. At least Sojourneywasn’t spewing hatred about a son who wasn’t blood, or how women were worthless, so Relic had better learn to manipulate them before he ended up stuck with a hoe for a woman and drinking his issues away, too.
Relic walked over to Sojourney and started the same routine he’d do for his father. The same routine no boy his age should’ve done, but Joseph convinced him it’d build character and help mold him into a real man because real men handled even the worst situations and didn’t cry like a bitch about it.
He lifted the toilet and then wrapped an arm around Sojourney, hauling her to the porcelain god better than he used to carry Joseph. His hand went to her cheeks, and he squeezed hard, forcing her mouth to open. Relic heard the gasps from behind him after he stuck his fingers down her throat to make her vomit.
She tried to shake her head as she gagged, but he kept a firm hold to keep her steady. He maneuvered his fingers deeper, and she choked before finally hurling out the pills and whatever else she’d put into her system. Relic checked for blood like his father taught him to make sure there was no internal damage after doing the shit so much. When his stare lifted to the doorway, Shabu’s pitying eyes were the first to lock on his. Relic diverted his gaze elsewhere since he didn’t care for the sympathy back then or in the present where his younger days were nothing more than haunting memories.
“She can’t go on stage like that,” Calm stated, making Relic glare up at him. He smoothed Sojourney’s hair out of the way as she continued to puke out her insides.
“She’ll be straight enough to go on last. She can sleep it off for an hour or so.”
“Relic!” Tima squealed with disbelief etched into her expression. Kennedy laid a hand on her shoulder.
“It’ll be quick. She can announce that she’s not feeling well but didn’t want to disappoint her fans. Do two songs, and wrap it up. The audience will be winding down from the hype songs by that time anyway.”
“She’s done it before,” Relic added, his eyes staying with Calm. “How many times has she recorded like this?”
Calm rubbed a hand down his face before confessing, “A few times, but she claimed she was just smoking. I told Tima she was lying.”
“She was. Lay her down on the couch. Everyone who isn’t on the label, get the fuck out. You,” he jutted a finger at Kennedy. “Come here and close the door.”
“Damn, I’m getting the boot, too.” Shabu leered at his brother, affronted, but Relic couldn’t make eye contact. He went to the sink to wash his hands.
His brother had lived it with him. Shabu knew about his past and exactly where the hell his mind had gone. His brother would want to talk it out and express feelings but, in that moment, Relic preferred the person who would let him sit in silence without that added pressure.
“You don’t have to leave.” Kennedy spoke up on his behalf. “Can you walk the girls to our section, though? He should be out by then.”
